Broadland

Broadland's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in religion, work life and housing tenure.

The population passed 120,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Broadland increased by 5.2%, from almost 119,000 to 125,000.

The addition of just over 6,100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Broadland was home to, on average, 1.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Broadland

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Broadland increased by three years, from 42 to 45 years.

This rural area had a higher average age than Eastof England and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 4,200 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 4,000.

About 14% of people in Broadland are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Broadland by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

Broadland saw Eastof England's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just over one in nine (12%) people aged 16 and over in Broadland said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 61% to 56%.

Across the region, only Mid Suffolk (from 9.2% to 11%) and Tendring (from 11% to 13%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Changing work life

The rate of unemployment increased in Broadland, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in Eastof England, except Cambridge and Mid Suffolk.

Every local authority area across Eastof England saw a rise in the proportion of unemployed people, as the regional average grew from 2.6% to 3.8%.

The rate of unemployment was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were unemployed across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Broadland

The percentage of Broadland residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.7% to 3.6% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 8.0%, while the percentage of Broadland residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89% to 88%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 2.7% in 2001 to 3.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Broadland

The number of people in Broadland that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 18,000 in 2001 to about 35,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 15% to 28% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Broadland that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 91,000 in 2001 to about 79,000 in 2011 (from 77% to 63%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just under 9,100 to about 9,200. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 7.7% to 7.4%.

Just under 510 people (0.3%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just over 300 in 2001 (0.4%).

The population without a religion in Broadland increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Broadland by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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